Who is Sir Simon McDonald?
SIR SIMON MCDONALD has served in various roles in the UK Foreign Offices and is one of the longest serving civil servants around.
Get to know more about his career and involvement.
Who is Sir Simon McDonald?
Sir Simon McDonald has been a member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom since 2021.
He was previously the Permanent Under Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Sir Simon joined the British Diplomatic Service in 1982 and has served in Berlin, Jeddah, Riyadh, Bonn, Washington and Tel Aviv, and in a wide range of jobs in London.
Sir Simon also served as the British Ambassador to Berlin from 2010 to 2015.
He was the Prime Minister’s Foreign Policy Adviser and Head of Foreign and Defence Policy in the Cabinet Office from 2007 to 2010.
From 2003 to 2006 he was British Ambassador to Israel.
He was appointed Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in 2014.
Sir Simon made headlines during the Covid-19 pandemic crisis when he said that the Government took a "political decision" not to join an EU effort to buy protective equipment and ventilators.
He later on admitted that he made the wrong statement regarding the situation.
He said in his clarification: "Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding, I inadvertently and wrongly told the Committee, that Ministers were briefed by UKMIS on the EU's Joint Procurement Agreement scheme and took a political decision not to participate in it.
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"This is incorrect.
"Ministers were not briefed by our mission in Brussels about the scheme and a political decision was not taken on whether or not to participate."
In 2020, Sir Simon confirmed that he will be stepping down from his position early, soon after he told his staff that he will be permanently staying on as secretary in what is now called the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The decision came after Boris Johnson sent an email to civil servants and said that the department "needs a new permanent secretary from its start".
Sir Simon responded: "I fully respect that decision.
"This morning I announce that I will formally stand down as PUS (permanent under-secretary) as soon as a new permanent secretary is available to lead the FCDO in September."
What does the Permanent Under-Secretary and Head of the Diplomatic Service do?
The Permanent Under Secretary (PUS) is responsible for advising the Foreign Secretary and the ministerial team on foreign policy, and for managing the FCO.
The PUS chairs the FCO Board and is also Head of the Diplomatic Service.
A 2018 three-part BBC documentary Inside The Foreign Office revealed the day-to-day working of one of the UK's largest Grand Offices of State.
Civil servants, most notably Sir Simon, are shown grappling with the difficulties of Brexit negotiations worldwide, a task he describes as "the biggest thing we have ever undertaken in peacetime".
McDonald is seen telling senior diplomats that the Brexit "course is set" and that those trying to stop Brexit are on a "failing course".